THE PACKET AND TIMES
Thinking of young children forced into Cambodia's underground sex trade keeps Steven Crow and Brian Ferguson up at night.
The 21-year-old cousins have decided to travel to the Third World country and train men as security guards to protect youth at the North Country Baptist Children's Home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital.
"It's just something that was weighing on our hearts and it just wouldn't leave your mind," Ferguson said. "It was keeping us up at night. We just couldn't let it go."
The orphanage, opened by Crow's father, local Pastor Len Crow in 2007, is home to 24 children aged three to 14.
"There's some issues we have at our orphanage with security and so forth," Steven Crow said. "We are going to be going in and training some of the (male college students) that go to the orphanage and some of the older church members."
There is an armed guard stationed outside the orphanage gates, but that doesn't provide much comfort, Crow said.
"He doesn't actually go to the orphanage or anything, so if somebody wanted to get inside they could just give him $50 and say 'leave for an hour,'" he said. "That's not what we need at all, especially when you have all these little kids inside."
Eight months ago, Crow returned to his Ramara Township home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Canadian Forces.
He has also been on a mission trip to the Philippines with his family and Ferguson to build a school. On another trip there he helped build an orphanage.
This will be the first time Crow and Ferguson go on a mission trip without a team. They will be in Cambodia for three to four weeks. They hope to leave Canada in mid-January.
"I think we are going to make a big impact," Ferguson said.
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Pastor Len Crow, of the North Country Baptist Church in Orillia, says amping up security at the orphanage is "very important."
"The sex trade is very, very high in Cambodia -- probably amongst the worst in the world," he said.
When the Khmer Rouge war ended, child sex slavery became a huge problem, Crow said.
"Doctors, businessmen, politicians, anyone with education was annihilated along with their families," he said. "It created a haven for the underworld to come in and start exploiting children."
There are approximately 100,000 children and young girls in Cambodian brothels. More than 30% were brought there by force, Len Crow said.
"They were either sold, sometimes by their parents, or kidnapped," he said.
Two of the young girls housed at the North Country Baptist Children's Home were nearly sold into the sex trade before the orphanage got them.
"Their father was involved in the underworld and was going to Thailand to sell (the girls aged three and six) at the border for $30 each," Crow said.
Crow and Ferguson are raising money to cover trip expenses. To donate, call Pastor Len Crow at 330-9602.
sross@orilliapacket.com
Thinking of young children forced into Cambodia's underground sex trade keeps Steven Crow and Brian Ferguson up at night.
The 21-year-old cousins have decided to travel to the Third World country and train men as security guards to protect youth at the North Country Baptist Children's Home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital.
"It's just something that was weighing on our hearts and it just wouldn't leave your mind," Ferguson said. "It was keeping us up at night. We just couldn't let it go."
The orphanage, opened by Crow's father, local Pastor Len Crow in 2007, is home to 24 children aged three to 14.
"There's some issues we have at our orphanage with security and so forth," Steven Crow said. "We are going to be going in and training some of the (male college students) that go to the orphanage and some of the older church members."
There is an armed guard stationed outside the orphanage gates, but that doesn't provide much comfort, Crow said.
"He doesn't actually go to the orphanage or anything, so if somebody wanted to get inside they could just give him $50 and say 'leave for an hour,'" he said. "That's not what we need at all, especially when you have all these little kids inside."
Eight months ago, Crow returned to his Ramara Township home from a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Canadian Forces.
He has also been on a mission trip to the Philippines with his family and Ferguson to build a school. On another trip there he helped build an orphanage.
This will be the first time Crow and Ferguson go on a mission trip without a team. They will be in Cambodia for three to four weeks. They hope to leave Canada in mid-January.
"I think we are going to make a big impact," Ferguson said.
Advertisement
Pastor Len Crow, of the North Country Baptist Church in Orillia, says amping up security at the orphanage is "very important."
"The sex trade is very, very high in Cambodia -- probably amongst the worst in the world," he said.
When the Khmer Rouge war ended, child sex slavery became a huge problem, Crow said.
"Doctors, businessmen, politicians, anyone with education was annihilated along with their families," he said. "It created a haven for the underworld to come in and start exploiting children."
There are approximately 100,000 children and young girls in Cambodian brothels. More than 30% were brought there by force, Len Crow said.
"They were either sold, sometimes by their parents, or kidnapped," he said.
Two of the young girls housed at the North Country Baptist Children's Home were nearly sold into the sex trade before the orphanage got them.
"Their father was involved in the underworld and was going to Thailand to sell (the girls aged three and six) at the border for $30 each," Crow said.
Crow and Ferguson are raising money to cover trip expenses. To donate, call Pastor Len Crow at 330-9602.
sross@orilliapacket.com
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